1998 Chinook reviews

138K miles: runs great on regular gas. Fold down couch sleeps 2. Two swivel captain chairs, refrigerator, stove, bathroom. Great condition. White with blue trim and interior. Sits on a Ford F-350 chassis. New roof fan and mirrors. Spent most of its life in Arizona, so there is almost no rust anywhere. Show less

This Review is for a 1995 Chinook Premier - the budget/cheaper version of the Concourse. The two of us have owned our Chinook for seven years. Upgraded the batteries/electrical system to modern standards to improve ability to boondock, replaced 3 way fridge with AC/DC Danfoss compressor fridge (huge upgrade), a few other minor tweaks. Our longest trip was seven weeks to the maritime provinces of Canada. For the size, it's a very livable floor plan. Couch/dinette makes into a California King which we can make/unmake in a few minutes (we leave the foam topper/sheets made on the couch portion and stow 'extra' under the couch when it is up. Pillows and bedding go behind the couch). The wet bath looks tiny, but you can do everything you need to in there including a hot shower. We have a 'one man rule' -- only one person can be up at a time because it is tight but more open than most B's we've been in (this is a B ). Easy to drive, ample power for passing, 11 mpg running at 65 mph. With the new refrigerator we don't have to be level, so setting up camp takes a couple of minutes as does tear down. I think this is a great 2 person motorhome for people who like to MOVE. Sitting in camp for a week or two? This is too cramped for that, but you can go almost anywhere in this rig and see things. We camp in front of our kid's houses when we visit, we go to national and state parks and BLM land. We've logged 60,000 miles and maybe 250 nights out so far and this well built machine has enabled us to experience a lot of places. Despite the age of the unit, problems have been minimal. Most of the unit is original, including the AC and generator which still work. We had to replace the furnace this year. We had a leak where I installed a new fan (my bad) but I fixed that easy enough. The spare tire holder had to be rewelded. The original fuel pump caused the engine to stall out in high heat, which might explain why I got the unit with such low miles. Thanks to the internet, I knew to get that replaced and later drove through Death Valley in 120 F with the AC blasting with no problems. Trail Wagons went bankrupt years ago and the unit is 27 years old, so obviously no warranty/factory support. This is built on the 1994 Ford E350 Econoline chassis, so there is still good support for that. Show less

Having experienced other RV's (Air Stream, Winnebago,etc.)this one is an easy handling rig! Have to go into town for groceries, movie or any other reason? No fear! This is as large as a Ford F-350 and easy to park in standard parking spaces. Connection at the park site is simple! Rollout the water hose, connect the electric line and you're all set to enjoy life's finer attributes! If you find a level site, no need to get the ramps out and hassle with leveling (but you can if needed). The unit we have has practically all of the options one could purchase in 1998. [This unit is presently for sale, so contact me for pictures and pricing (ChasWinters@gmail.com).] Show less

This thing is awesome. This has the best floor plan of any RV out there except the BT Cruiser but it is more solid in build than that model. Second to none in construction and mine is 18 years old and still drives perfect. I could not give it stars for manufacturer warranty/support as the original company went out of business in 2004. What a shame, they don't build them like this anymore. As with any motorhome you do hear rattles and squeaks while driving down the road but it is very minimal compared to other RVs. It has an excellent Ford V10 engine, lots of power. My only gripe would be the breaks and this is true of virtually all B+ models I have driven. They just do not seem meaty enough to stop the rig so pray no one cuts you off in traffic. I do not expect to stop on a dime as the vehicle is huge and heavy but the breaks are just a shade not good enough but tolerable. Take your time and drive defensive. The shower is tiny also but for the 21ft length it's adequate. I am 5-9 and can stand up so what more can you ask for. I am guessing if you are over 6 ft you might have problems. The dinette really shines. It is very comfortable and the table allows a good card game with 4 people if one is so inclined. A little tight with that many but acceptable. 2 others can also sit on the couch so a 6 player game is possible Lol. Overall this is the best built RV out there. One other thing, this is the best Chinook if you are stealth camping and boondocking. It isn't as good for that as the new class B sprinter vans but you give that up for the superior floor plan. It does not have the funky shaped windows that the concourse has so as long as you take the graphics off it could pass as a work truck. I have the graphics still on and still have not had a problem urban camping yet, though it has only been a month. Show less